Festival Distributions Artists Featured on 'Connie Kaldor @ Wood River HallIn January

Starting January 7th on VisionTV, folk music will have a home on national television. Juno award winner Connie Kaldor will be hosting the series, Connie Kaldor @ Wood River, featuring some of Canadas finest folk performers.

However, more impressive is the fine line up of Festival Distribution artists who will be performing in this seasons episodes:

Jan. 7 -- Scarlett, Washington & Whiteley - This trio of guitar picker-singers -- Mose Scarlett, Jackie Washington and Ken Whiteley -- boasts more than 125 years of combined playing experience. All veterans of the roots music scene, they began jamming together at folk festivals in the 1980s, a casual collaboration that led to a series of critically acclaimed albums, including the 1995 boxed set Three By Three and their newest, Sitting on a Rainbow.

Jan. 14 -- James Keelaghan - American music critic Dave Marsh has called James Keelaghan Canadas finest singer songwriter." A native Albertan, he put aside history studies at the University of Calgary to pursue a musical career, but his academic interests continue to influence his art: some of his most celebrated songs, such as Red River Rising" and Cold Missouri Waters," reflect a lifelong passion for the stories of the past. Keelaghan has recorded seven albums to date, and will be releasing his 8th album, Then Again, a retrospective of Keelaghan favourites in February.

Jan. 21 -- The Wailin Jennys - Before they joined forces, the three members of the Wailin Jennys were enjoying separate music careers -- Cara Luft and Nicky Mehta as solo artists, Ruth Moody as lead singer for the Celtic group Scruj MacDuhk. A casual promise to perform together at a Winnipeg guitar store led to a pair of sold-out shows in January 2002, and a new band was born. Since then, the Jennys have recorded a self-titled six-song EP and will be releasing their first full-length album in February.

Feb. 4 -- Eileen Laverty - Born in Belfast and raised in Saskatoon, singer-songwriter Eileen Laverty gave up a steady job as a high school English teacher in 2000 to pursue a full-time music career. Her debut release Dancing with Angels earned a Prairie Music Award for Outstanding Roots Recording. Eileen is currently working on an album for release in 2004.

Feb. 11 -- The Duhks - Youthful Winnipeg folkies the Duhks play a high-energy blend of Celtic, Quebecois and old-time mountain music. Leader Leonard Podolak built this group on the ashes of his former outfit Scruj MacDuhk, recruiting guitarist Jordan McConnell, fiddle prodigy Tania Elizabeth and singer Jessica Havey as his bandmates. Their 2002 debut CD, Your Daughters and Your Sons, was a Juno Award nominee.

Feb. 18 -- Stringband - Founded by Toronto students Bob Bossin and Marie-Lynn Hammond in 1971, Stringband were pioneers of the Canadian folk scene. With its ever-shifting lineup of personnel, the group traveled to every corner of the country, performing songs that painted a musical portrait of Canada and its people. Though Bossin and Hammond formally called it quits in 1986, the band recently reunited for a series of shows, and has released a boxed-set compilation, The Indispensable Stringband.

Feb. 25 -- Roy Forbes - In the summer of 1971, Roy Forbes left his home in Dawson Creek, B.C. to seek his fortune as a singer-songwriter in Vancouver. Four years and countless gigs later, he released the Juno Award-nominated debut album Kid Full of Dreams under his childhood nickname, Bim. Nowadays he continues to perform and record, both as a solo artist and as a member of the trio UHF.

March 17 -- Shari Ulrich - Born in San Rafael, California, singer-songwriter Shari Ulrich moved to British Columbia in the early 1970s. She wound up living in a commune and performing with a quirky trio called the Pied Pumkin String Ensemble. After a stint in Valdys backing band, she launched her solo career, winning a Juno Award for most promising female artist in 1981. In addition to writing music for television, hosting programs on CBC-TV and BCTV and taking on musical theatre roles, Ulrich has continued to perform both solo and as a member of the trio UHF.

The program airs on Wednesdays, starting Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET, and repeats on Fridays, starting Jan. 9, at 4:30 p.m. ET.

For more information about Connie Kaldor @ Wood River Hall check out:

http://www.visiontv.ca/HTML/Programs/MusicKaldor.html or www.festival.bc.ca

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Jill Brooksbank
Publicity & Artist Services
Festival Distribution/Mainstage Management
1351 Grant Street
Vancouver, BC V5L 2X7
P 604.253.2662 F 604.253.2634
www.festival.bc.ca